Inking mechanism for printing-machines.



R. WHEHLE. INKING MECHMHSM FOR PRINYING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 5. I917. 1,291,06fl Patented Jan.14,1919.

,2; 25 Fig. I

53 ZOI/VVENTOR W/am BY WWW/i ATTORNEYS GFFIGEE.

RGBERT MIEHLE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

INKING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 14, 1919.

Application filed November 5, 1917. Serial No. 200,374.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ROBERT MIEHLE, a citizen ofv the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Inking Mechanisms for Printing-Machines, of which the following is a full clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to inking mechanism for printing machines and has for its primary object to provide an inking mechanism which will efliciently and economically ink the form, particularly those forms having relatively heavy and light portions at intervals in the lateral extent of the same.

In practice it is usual, where forms of the above mentioned character are used, to adjust theink fountain to feed a relatively large quantity of ink in line with the heavy portions of the form. As it is impossible to confine the adjustment of the ink fountain to the exact limits of the heavy portions of the form, and as the ink has a tendency to spread out while on the inking mechanism, a border of ink gradually accumulates on the inking mechanism upon each side of said heavy ortions due to the fact that these accumulations are not exhausted in inking the form. This condition causes the light portion of the form in line with these accumulations to be inked too heavily. In practice it is usual to vibrate certain of the rollers of the inking device to spread these accumulations. I-Iowever as now practised, these vi: brating rollers are vibrated a portion of their full stroke while passing over the inktable and the remaining portions while they are passing over the form. The result is that the portion of the vibrating rollers which have these accumulations do not pass entirely over the heavy portions of the form before they again pass over the ink-table where they are recharged. If too much vibration is given to the vibrating rollers while upon the ink-table the adjustment of the ink fountain is lost to a great extent due to the spreading efiect of the vibration of the rollers. It is the object of my invention to exhaust these accumulations by giving the vibrating rollers of the form roller group the full stroke of the vibrating mechanism while passing over the form so that the full width of said accumulations on the form and vibrator rollers is brought in exhausting relation with the heavy ortions: of the form before the. form roller group is again recharged by contact with the ink-table. In the preferred embodiment of the invention the vibrating rollers of the form roller group are also given a vibratory movement while in efiective relation with the inktable or charging surface, and preferably one distinct from that given the same while in effective relation with the form, the same lying within the limit of the vibration given while said vibrating rollers are in effective relation with the form, whereby the advantages obtaining from vibrating said rollers while in effective relation with the inktable or charging surface areretained and the disadvantages thereof eliminated.

With these and other objects in View which will be hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims the invention resides in the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and disclosing the preferred embodiment thereof, in which:

Figure 1 is a partial side elevation in section of a reciprocating bed printing machine.

Fig. 2 is a similar'view showing the part in another position in cycle of operation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a partial end elevation in section of the same on the line'33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatical view of one I pinder 2. A series of friction rollers a are journaled in roller frames and rest upon said tracks 3. Supported by the rollers is a reciprocating bed 6, the rollers a being journaled in roller frame 5 in the usual manner to keep said rollers properly spaced and alinedf The bed 6 is reciprocated in timed relation with the impression cylinder 2 by the usual mechanism, not shown.

Mounted upon bed 6 is a printing form 11 which is adapted to be contacted by the impression cylinder 2 during a portion of each cycle in the usual manner. Also mounted upon the bed 6 in front of-the form is an ink-table or charging surface 12. By mechanism which is well known to those skilled in the art the cylinder 2 is raised slightly during each printing operation to allow the form 11 and the ink-table or charging surface 12 to pass thereunder without contact on the return stroke, see Fig. 2. An ink fountain 13 of usual construction is mounted on extensions of the main frame at the front end of the machine, said fountain being provided with a conventional ductor roller 14 journaled in arms '15, which are mounted upon a shaft 16 ournaled in the main frame. The shaft 16 is oscillated by the press mechanism in the usual manner so that the 'ductor roller which is supplied with ink from the fountain, is moved to a position to contact the ink-table each time the bed is moved toward the front end of the press, see Fig. 2, thereby supplying or charging a said inktable with ink.

J ournaled in extension of the side-fraine are ink-table distributing rollers 17, the same being adapted to contact with the inktable while it is passing under the same. These ink-table rollers are so positioned that they contact the ink-table only during a portion of the reciprocation of the bed, said inktable necessarily passing out from under the same as the bed nears its rear center, see Fig. 1, the same contacting said rollers after it has passed its rear center and reversed its direction and has proceeded toward its front center.

Journaled in extension pf the main frame just in front of the impression cylinder is the form roller group comprising form rollers 21, vibrator rollers 22, and pyramid rollers 23. The form rollers 21 are adapted to contact the ink-table when the bed is moved to a position near the rear end of its movement, see Fig. 1, and to move over the form when the bed is near the front end of its movement, see Fig. 2, whereby the ink is transferred from the ink-table to the form. The vibrator rollers 22 engage the second pair of form rollers 21 and are vibrated, by mechanism hereinafter to be described, transversely to properly distribute the ink. The pyramid rollers 23 contact the vibrator rollers 22 and serve to give the form roller group a greater capacity of ink. It will be noted that the pyramid rollers 23 vibrate transversely with the vibrator rollers 22 by their contact therewith, collars 24 affixed to the shafts of said pyramid rollers serving to keep the vibration thereof within due bounds.

The upwardly facing rack 25 is affixed to the bed 6 at one side thereof, and an idler gear 26' meshes therewith and is journ-aled upon a stud '27 ofthe main frame. Each vibrator roller is provided at one end with a rather wide gear 28 which meshes with the idler gear at. While I have shown gearing in connection with only one set of form rollers, the set nearest the impression cylinder 2, the gearing which drives the other set is identical with that just described, there being a gear 28 secured to the vibrator roller 22 of said set and meshing with a gear identical with said idler gear 26, which in turn meshes with rack 25. The above mentioned gearing serves to drive the rollers of the form roller group in timed relation with the movements of the bed.

The shaft of each vibrator roller extends beyond the main frame 1 at one side thereof,

and a grooved collar 29 is alfixed to said re-' spective extending ends. A fulcrumed lever 30 is provided for each vibrator roller and is fulcrumed upon a bracket 31 of the main side frame 1 by means hereinafter to be described. A roller 32 ournaled upon the upper end of each fulcrumed lever engages the groove of the respective collar 29. The fulcrumed levers 30 are pivoted on respective brackets 31 bymeans of studs 33 engaging respective holes in said levers and brackets. In order that the stroke of the vibrating rollers may be adjusted the brackets 31 and the fulcrumed levers 30 are provided with a series of holes 34, each hole in the levers having a corresponding hole in the respective bracket. By this arrangement it is only necessary, when it is desired to change the stroke of vibration of a vibrator roller, to remove the stud 32 and place the same in the desired holes of the series.

J ournaled in the press frame is a cam shaft 35, which is driven in unison with the bed6 by the usual gearing, not shown, and which makes one revolution for each complete reciprocation, or backward and fore ward movement, of the bed. Affixed to the cam shaft 35 on the side of the machine en-. gaging the levers 30 is a drum cam 36. The groove of said drum cam is engaged by a roller 37 journaled at the lowest end of the lever 30, the lever 30 being oscillated thereby as the shaftis revolved; It will be noted that the vibrator mechanism on which operates one vibrator roller is identical with that which operates the other vibrator roller, and to simplify the description I have described but one, said description applying to both.

The shaft 35 is so timed relative to the recip'rocations of the bed 6 that the roller of the respective fulcrumed lever 30 passes through a portion a 0, see Fig. 4, of the cam while the form rollers are in contact with the form, the same passing substantially through the remaining portions 0 (Z and e a while said form rollers are in contact with the ink-table.

It will be noted that by means of the cam contour as shown mfFig- 4 the vibrator rollers are vibrated theirfull h stroke while passing over the form and are vibrated but a portion of that stroke while passlng over the ink-table, and that during a portion of the time in which they are passing over the ink-table they have no vibration. Thus the ink which is placed upon the ink-table unevenly to meet the requirements of the form by adjustment of the fountain is not spread to any great extent while on the ink-table by the vibration of the form rollers whereby the full beneficial effect of the fountain adjustment is retained. \Vhen the form rollers are passing over the form, the ink is exhaused therefrom to charge the form with ink and the ink is exhaused from those portions of the form rollers thereof which are in line with the type matter of the form, and those above mentioned accumulations of ink at the side of the type matter of the form would not be exhausted were it not for the vibration of the vibrator rollers 22, which, due to the fact that they are given a full vibratory stroke while passing over the form, or a relatively greater vibratory stroke while passing over the form than they receive while passing over the ink-table bring the ink that would otherwise form said accumulations into exhausting relation with the type matter of the form whereby they are exhausted.

In the use of the invention, the ink fountain is adjusted in the usual way to meet the requirements of the form and the vibrating mechanism is then adjusted so that the vibrator rollers of the form roller group bring the full width of the accumulations, which occur on the sides of those heavily inked portions of the inking mechanism, which are in line with the heavy portions of the form, so that the surplus ink may be exhausted therefrom before the form rollers are again recharged from the inking mechanism.

While I have shown my invention, in its preferred embodiment as applied to a two revolution fiat bed printing press, it is obvious that its beneficial use is not limited to this particular class of machine.

Having thus fully described my invention I claim:

1. In a printing machine, the combination with a form surface, of a charging surface,-a vibrator roller alternately in efiective relation with said form surface and said charging surface, and vibrating mechanism adapted to vibrate said roller substantially the full stroke thereof while in effective relation with said form surface and adapted to position said vibrator roller at one end of its vibratory stroke each time it is in effective relation with the end of said form surface from which it breaks its efiective relation preceding the establishment of its effective relation with said charging surface.

2. In a printing machine, the combination with a form surface, of a charging surface, a vibrating roller alternately in efiective relation with said form surface and said charging surface and a Vibrating mechanism in timed relation with the alternate effective relation of said roller with said form surface and said charging surface and adapted to vibrate said vibrator roller and to give the same two distinct vibratory movements, one while said vibrator roller is in effective relation with the form and the other while it is in effective relation with the charging surface, said vibrating mechanism being adapted to vibrate said roller substantially the full stroke thereof while it is in effective relation with said form surface.

3. In a printing machine, the combination with a form surface, of a charging surface,a vibrator roller alternately in effective relation with said form surface and said charging surface during each cycle of the machine, and vibrating mechanism timed with the press mechanism to complete one cycle to each cycle of the machine and adapted to vibrate said roller substantially the full stroke thereof while said vibrating roller is in effective relation with said form surface. a. In a printing machine, the combination with a form surface, of a charging surface, a vibrator roller alternately in effective relation with said form surface and said charging surface in a cycle of the machine, and means adapted to vibrate said roller the full stroke thereof while said vibratory roller is in effective relation with said form surface and adapted to vibrate the same a portion of the full stroke thereof while said roller is in effective relation with said charging surface. 5. In a printing machine, the combination with a form surface, of a charging surface, a vibrator roller alternately in effective relation with said form surface and said charging surface in a cycle of the machine, and means adapted to vibrate said roller the full stroke thereof while said vibratory roller is in effective relation with said form surface 110.

and adapted to retain the same within the limits of the full stroke thereof while said roller is in effective relation with said charging surface.

6. In a printing machine, the combination with a form surface, of a charging surface, form rollers alternately in eflective relation with said form surface and said charging surface in a cycle of the machine, a vibrator roller in continuous contact with said form rollers, and means adapted to vibrate said vibrator roller substantially the full stroke thereof while said form rollers are in contact with the form, and adapted to vibrate the same a portion of the full stroke thereof while said roller is in efiective relation with said charging surface.

7. In a printing machine, the combination with a form surface, of a charging surface, form rollers alternately in efiective relation With said form surface and said charging surface in a cycle of the machine, a vibrator roller in continuous contact with said form rollers, and means adapted to vibrate said vibrator roller substantially the full stroke thereof While said form rollers are in contact with the form, and adapted to retain the same .Within the limits of the full stroke thereof While said roller is in effective relation With said charging surface.

8. In a printing machine, the combination with a form surface, of a charging surface, a form roller alternately in effective relation with said form and charging surfaces, at vibrator roller in continuous contact With said form roller, and vibrating mechanism timed With the press mechanism to complete one cycle to each cycle of the machine and adapted to vibrate said vibrator roller substantially the full stroke thereof While'said form roller is in efiective relation With said form surface.

9. In a printing machine, the combination with a form surface, of a charging means, a vibrator roller intermittently in effective relation With said form surface and charged by said charging means, and vibrating mech anism timed with the press mechanism to make one complete cycle to each cycle of the machine, and adapted to vibrate said roller substantially the full stroke thereof While said vibrating roller is in effective relation With said form surface.

10. In a printing machine, the combina:

tion With a form surface of acharging means, a vibrator roller intermittently 1n effectlve relation with said form surface and charged by said charging means, and vibrating mechanism including a single revolution cam for vibrating said vibrator roller, said cam being formed to vibrate said roller sub-, stantially the full stroke thereof While said roller is in effective relation With the form.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature this 3rd day of November, A. D. 1917.

ROBERT MIEHLEL Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

